Fostine Opiyo Odhiambo, Editor/Author
Many at times in a working environment we face challenges with our superiors. This would vary depending on the nature of challenge. Working in a toxic environment has become a great problem faced by the entire world. In an interview with Lucy Wandia an experienced hotelier on how to create a great working relationship with your boss will help us understand how this bosses are toxic as said and find a better solution on creating a free space for workers
Lucy is an organized and creative professional with proven professional practise in marketing and customer care management. Her accumulative 12+ years of experience in Hotel Reservations, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Customer care for diverse organizations has reshaped Ms. Lucy to be among the greatest employees within East Africa with expertise in key accounts management, administration, sales and marketing.
Working in diverse organizations especially in the hospitality industry has also rekindled her emotional maturity making her a champion for turning toxic bosses to great leaders. Professionally, Lucy is trained hotelier and holds diploma in Mass communication. Her openness and admirable communication skills is a plus for her. She loves working in a peaceful work environment. Whenever she notices the work environment is toxic, she counters this by doing the right things at the right place. She believes in creating working space (emotionally, physically and financially) for a conducive working environment.
Toxic Bosses.
To begin our conversation, I ask Lucy to reflect on her practice experience. She identifies what she feels has been, and indeed remains, a challenge to creating greater working relationships in reference to her experience with various toxic bosses within the hospitality industry. She says that that toxic bosses exists not only those on top like the CEOs and General Managers but also sectional heads and supervisors.
Depending on the level of individual in a work place, toxic bosses exist. She believes that this is not only in Africa but also in the entire world. The toxic boss Lucy refers by giving examples of what toxic bosses do. She says toxic bosses are those leaders who are poor in decision-making. Those not engaged at work. No great stand and love favouritism, One who exposes the weakness of staff under his/her department; rushes to report all things to the HR Manager or the GM, Disrespect team members, one who does not listen to others;loves delegating duties that are not related to individual job description; Allows other managers to crossover his/her department and command other staff in other departments. Lucy citing example where the chief accountant delegates duty to the front office desk staff to perform some accounts work like updating the books of accounts.
Toxic boss exists everywhere not only in Africa but also in the entire world. They do things without considering the emotions of other team members. Poor decisions, no motivation, expose weakness of team, rushes to report……
Greater working relationships is very healthy for any organization. When the boss is toxic employees builds in their mind the urge to look for better opportunities where they can have peace, Toxic bosses contributes largely to individual productivity. Employees’ productivity will start diminishing in a toxic environment. Another dilemma is on motivation. Where the boss is toxic employee feel demotivated. Lack of motivation in the place of work leads employees to look for motivation outside work.
Employees looks for motivation outside work this leads to low productivity and minimizes work concentration and truly speaking performance will be automatically poor.
Creating a greater working Relationship.
To further our discussion, how can we create greater working relationships? Lucy is much concern with creating greater working relationship. She believes that creating a greater working relationship varies with the person in power –despite of the position/rank. The person in power should consider a democratic leadership style. She further explains that ideal leadership for creating a greater working relationship includes a diplomatic approach to work and workforce, teaching people and encouraging learning at workplace, ensuring proper orientation, equal distribution of responsibilities depending on individual capability and enhancing work stability.
A greater working relationship requires fair disciplinary procedures. She explains that most disciplinary procedures today are not fair. The processes are not to correct the mistake but to go extra to punish the person. With a toxic boss and toxic work environment, the disciplinary is more oriented to money. Lucy explains that today almost all disciplinary actions ends up to deducting employees’ money. She counts issues on absenteeism, lateness, use of abusive language. A toxic manager will ensure that each disciplinary actions leads to deducting individual pay. This includes suspensions without pay.
Employees being desperate for the job due to unemployment in Africa they continue to work with such bosses for them to survive.
‘Mr. Fostine we sometimes work with the toxic bosses because of lack of other opportunities. We work to survive. You may be patient but a time reaches when you have to quit. Honestly, employees feel irritated when there pay is deducted as a disciplinary action. There are things your boss should not report to the HR Manager. There are things employees arrange internally within their department.’Lucy adds.
Thirdly, creating greater working relationships requires employees’ growth. This entails financial growth, personal growth in terms of personal development, promotions with pay, increase in responsibilities matched with a recognized package. Some bosses will increase your responsibilities but does not recognize your efforts by compensating appropriately. Let the responsibility grow with the pay. Increase in responsibilities increase in pay. Period!” To create greater work relationships, remunerations and employee productivity are like identical twins. To boost employee productivity, the organizations should pay much attention on incentives, commissions and overtime compensation where applicable. Ignoring of such leads to unproductivity. ‘Other areas motivates but money energizes the worker emotionally, physically and economically’ Lucy adds
Your responsibilities can be increased with no pay. When you ask for pay readjustment. You are told to proof your worth even after performing the responsibilities on an acting capacity. Surely, what proof do you need? You will later end without getting pay increments, if you are lucky to get it, it will be minimal. Funnily, if you persist of pay readjustment the company will hire another person at a higher pay than you and you will be required to train him or her again. I think that sometimes our bosses do not think wisely. Why hire a new person while the talent is within. Give them that chance, develop them, remunerate appropriately, encourage them and engage them.
To improve work relationships, team building activities is very vital. The HR leaders needs to be creative to enhance team-building activities. The economic status of most organization today may not allow organizations to plan for costly team building events but HR leaders should take the forefront by being creative, involving other stakeholders to ensure that internally and financial friendly activities are initiated. Possibly from department to department then inter departmentally and eventually entire workforce. ‘I believe in starting small and moving at a reasonable speed where one cannot strain.’Work relationships is also improved through continuous departmental and interdepartmental briefings and meetings. The workforce needs to be in the picture on what and why organizations exist. The visions and missions will be of less importance if they only remain displayed at the office reception areas and offices while the employees do not understand the nitty gritty of the mission and vision statement.
Working in Family Business set-up
Working in family business/enterprises is good. If you want to learn, work in a family business. Family businesses are full of lessons both positive and negative. Firstly, you will learn their system of work, you will be exposed to different departments, family business squeezes all your efforts and strengths – they utilize you properly. The major challenges are- Top position will be reserved for family members. The directors will find it easy to train a family member to take a top position and not developing another worker who is outside their family. Some positions are created to accommodate a family member while if you request for additional staff within your departments you will be told your department is overstaffed.
Additionally, as an individual, you will notice your responsibilities increasing and your life does not change financially. If there are people who have grown within family businesses then it is approximately two out of ten. I have talked to many people sharing our experiences but their challenges in family business are almost all the same.
Family business will always not be smooth. In most cases, you will find that employees are aligned to one director. This happens when the directors are at the same level and they double up some of the executive roles. Leading to a mother – father game. Whereas some employees hops from one director to another to find a landing space. The employees are quick to learn the differences of the directors, and they will take advantage of that. This will be the beginning of the organization fall. To avoid this, the directors’ needs to be united and their difference should remain a top secret. Top executives should not know this too. Directors should discourage camps/teams (some employees are for this director and others for the other director). Family business grows very fast when employees and directors shares the same objectives, mission and vision.
Solutions: What we expect as employees
Employees requires good leaders. Good leaders listens to others, Involve people in their work processes, and encourages use of hierarchy. Good leaders communicates adequately. Engages their workforce, good leaders correct the mistakes and not punishing the person by deducting their pay. They create space for their workers. Great leaders are honest, open –minded, consults and open opportunities for others.
Lucy added in the interview that ‘you could be a good boss but not a great boss’. However, you can move from being toxic to being good and then greater. It is a process but in any working environment, there is a time the boss will be toxic, sometimes good as well as great. Briefly, you can transform your toxic boss only when he or she is open-minded. To succeed in a toxic environment with a toxic boss ensure you learn your boss swing moods. The boss will not always be toxic all the time. Your emotional attachment with other team members and urge for the success of the entire business through striving smartly and being positive will energize you in toxic working environment. Challenges are everywhere; the difference is the level of the challenges. Your emotional maturity will help you to survive. Finally, I can say emotional maturity is a process that come along with work experience. The more you work; you meet different people that strengthens you emotionally.